Pump for liquids



Oct. 19, 1965 'H. HOSTERMAN PUMP FOR LIQUIDS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 11, 1963 INVENTOR. BY a Oct. 19, 1965 H. L. HOSTERMAN 3,212,443

PUMP FOR LIQUIDS Filed Feb. 11, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG-4 VENTOR.

Fla-6 M United States Patent 3,212,443 PUMP FOR LIQUIDS Harry L. Hosterman, 1146 Meadow Spur, Akron, Ohio Filed Feb. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 257,456 8 Claims. (Cl. 103-1) This invention relates to pumps and in particular to a means for pumping gases or liquids using any liquid pressure source and which is capable of causing a flow of gases creating either pressure or vacuum, or both simultaneously.

Heretofore it has been known to pump liquids by centrifugal rotors, creating large pressure differences without the use of pistons or other positive displacement means. However, any use of centrifugal means for causing pressures in gases differing more than a few pounds per square inch from atmospheric pressure requires the use of very high rotational velocities, large diameter rotors, multi-stage arrangements, or combinations of these features. When gas pressures are required which are greater than those producedby the foregoing centrifugal means, it is necessary to utilize more complicated positive displacement means.

It is the general object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other objections to gas pumps heretofore proposed by providing a simple, inexpensive and efficient device for pumping gases by means of a liquid pressure source.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pump for creating high pressures in gases by centrifugal means.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a pump for creating high vacuums in enclosures by centrifugal means. I

These and other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation of one system designed for pumping gases, utilizing an embodiment incorporating a cylindrical rotor.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken through line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front view of another embodiment comprising a rotating disc and stationary plate.

FIG. 4 is a section of FIG. 3 taken through hne 4--4.

FIG. 5 is a view taken through line 5-5 of FIG. 3, showing cavity and porting arrangements in the stationary plate; and

FIG. 6 is another concept utilizing the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 in combination with a centrifugal pump.

Referring to the drawings, the first to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, the numeral 1 designates an embodiment utilizing a rotatable cylindrical member 2 machined to a close running fit inside a stationary housing 3. The housing 3 may be described as an annular ring having four inwardly facing cavities 4, 5, 6 and 7 located around the inside of the housing with each cavity occupying substantially one quadrant of the housing. As shown in FIG. 2, a cross section through the annular housing 3 and the cavities 4 and 6 resembles an inwardly turned U- shaped ring. A similar configuration would result from taking a section through the cavities 5 and 7.

The rotary cylinder 2 has a duct 8 and a duct 9 both of which pass through the cylinder to intersect the longitudinal axis of the cylinder 2 at 90 to said axis. The ducts 8 and 9 are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder 2 and have a 90 angular displacement from each other. i

A port 13 passes through the wall of the hous1ng 2 t0 the cavity 4. Similarly a port 10 opens into the cavity 5,

ice

a port 11 opens into the cavity 6 and a port 12 opens into the cavity 7. The ports 13 and 10 are input ports and the ports 11 and 12 are output ports.

The cavities 4, 5, 6 and 7 are divided from each other by four separators 14, 15, 16 and 17. The separators are radially arranged apart and run transversely across the inner face of the annular housing 3.

The separator 14 lies between the cavities 4 and 5, the separator 15 lies between the cavities 4 and 7, the separator 16 lies between the cavities 5 and 6 and the separator 17 lies between the cavities 6 and 7.

The arrangement of the separators 14, 15, 16 and 17 is such that when the cylinder 2 is positioned inside the housing 3 a convexly curved face 2a of the cylinder 2 seals against an inner edge 14a, 15a, 16a and 17a of the separators 14, 15, 16 and 17 respectively. The cavities 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sealed from each other by the cylinder 1, except when the passages 7 and 9 interconnect them.

A reservoir 31 contains a series of baffles 19, 20 and 21. Bafiles 19 are attached to the top 18 of the reservoir and positioned transversely, being also attached to each side. They extend vertically downward approximately one third the height of the reservoir. Baffles 21 are positioned in the same plane as bafiles 19, being attached to the sides and bottom and extending vertically approximately one half the height of the reservoir. An opening approximately one sixth the height of the reservoir remains between baffles 19 and 20. Bafiles 20 are positioned in a vertical plane midway between the vertical planes containing bafiles 19 and 21, the planes containing each being parallel. Bafiies 20 extend vertically approximately two thirds the height of the reservoir, being positioned midway between the top and bottom of reservoir 18. A space approximately one sixth the height of the reservoir remains between its top and bottom and the ends of the bafiles 20. Baflles 20 are attached to the sides of the reservoir.

A filler plug 22 is threaded into the top of the reservoir to provide a leakproof opening for maintaining the level of liquid 23 at a point midway between the top of baffles 21 and the bottom of baffies 19. A port 24 is positioned in the top of the reservoir centered in the compartment formed by the last of the series of baffles 19 and the end 25. A ceramic filter 26 fills the space in said compartment, being held in position by retainer 27. A tube 28 connects the port 24 to a storage tank or other end use.

A port 29 is positioned in the end 25, centered transversely a small distance from the bottom 30. Tube 32 connects the port 29 to the inlet port of a standard centrifugal pump 33, driven by an electric motor not illustrated. The end 34 of the reservoir 31 contains two ports transversely centered, port 35 being positioned near top 18 and port 36 near bottom 30. Tube 37 connects port 36 to port 12 of pump element embodiment 1 and tube 38 connects port 35 to port 11.

A drive chain 40 rotates shaft 39 in FIG. 2 in a counterclockwise direction by means of a sprocket 51. Chain 40 is driven by a sprocket mounted on the motor shaft. A tube 41 connects outlet port 42 of the centrifugal pump 33 to a constant flow regulator valve 43, having knob 44 for regulation of the fluid velocity. A tube 45 connects the regulator valve 43 to port 13 of the embodiment 1.

In order to describe the method of operation, it is assumed that a liquid is being used to transfer energy imparted to it by a pump 33 to a gas by means of pump element, embodiment 1. When required, other combinations of liquids and gases may be used without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

The reservoir 31 contains the liquid 23, being filled to a height midway between the opening formed by the baflles .19 and 21. FIG. 1 shows the pump 33 above the reservoir 31 for clarity of illustration, but in practice, the reservoir is at the same level as the pump, permitting the fluid 23 to flow into the pump, thus priming it. All other passages are initially filled with gas. The pump 33 is designed to pressurize the liquid 23 to a pressure equal to the required outlet 28 gas pressure plus an additional amount sufficient to overcome the pressure losses due to flow of liquid and gas circulating in the system. This pressure will only exist in the zero-flow condition. The energy represented by the pressure head appears in the liquid in the tube 41 as a velocity head, having energy equal to E:mv 2. The liquid flows through the valve 43 and the tube 45 into the cavity 4, filling it. The cylindrical member 2 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction by the drive chain 40. In FIG. 1 the end of the passage 8 has just cleared the separator 15, permitting the liquid in the cavity 4 to enter the passage 8. Gas in the passage is forced into the cavity 6, out the port 11, and through the tube 38 into the upper portion of the reservoir 31.

The knob 44 on valve 43 is adjusted for a liquid velocity that will just fill the passage 8 as the entrance end passes under the separator 14. The separator 14 is wide enough to prevent passage 8 to be open to the cavities 4 and simultaneously. Thus any pressure difference between the cavities is maintained. The flow control valve 43 is only used to cause small changes of velocity in the liquid flow, permitting the passage 8 to be filled in approximately the same time as required for its entrance to pass from the separator to the separator 14. The nominal fluid velocity is fixed by the outlet tube 29 pressure requirements. Thus the length of the passage 8 is chosen to permit the liquid to just fill it in the time required to rotate cylindrical member 2 through an angle of 90 when the liquid is flowing at the proper velocity to produce the required final outlet pressure. Another purpose of the constant-flow regulator valve 43 is to automatically maintain a given velocity of liquid as the pressure changes at the outlet tube 28.

The liquid in passage 8 is momentarily separated from the cavities 4 and 5 by the separator 14. Closing of the entrance of the passage 8 does not remove a large amount of kinetic energy from the liquid in the passage 8, as the liquid motion creates a short space filled with its vapor. This space pressure can never be more than 15 psi. less than that in the cavity 5, and less if the tube 46 is creating a vacuum in any vessel to which it is attached. As the entrance of the passage 8 passes the separator 14, the exit passes separator 17. This separator is much narrower than the passage, as even momentary closing of the exit end will cause extremely high pressures and shock waves in the column of liquid filling the passage 8, causing loss of kinetic energy. While this narrow separator permits the passage 8 to interconnect the cavities 6 and 7 momentarily, this does not result in any flow between them, as they are always at the same pressure.

After passing separator 14, the entrance end of passage 8 is open to cavity 5 and the exit is open to cavity 7. Although now separated from the pressure source, the mass of liquid still contains most of the energy imparted to it. Thus it will do work on cavities 5 and 7 by drawing gas into the cavity 5 through the tube 46. As the liquid leaves passage 8, it enters cavity 7, also drawing gas from cavity 5 into passage 8. When designed for a given pressure, the liquid will contain enough energy to completely leave the passage 8 as the exit of the passage traverses the cavity 7, simultaneously filling the passage with gas from the cavity 5. As the liquid completely leaves the passage 8, the exit passes the separator 15, entering the cavity 4 for a new cycle. The exit end of the passage 8 becomes the entrance for the next cycle, the liquid traversing it in the opposite direction. A complete cycle occurs every 180 of rotation of cylindrical member 2, with each cycle causing the liquid to alternate its direction of flow with respect to the passage.

The passage 9, having a angular displacement with passage 8, goes through the same cycles 90 out of phase, thus causing continuous operation of all cavities, resulting in smooth gas and liquid flow in all tubes. After the first few cycles, steady state operation will have occurred, with the cavities 4 and 7 being filled with liquid and cavities 5 and 6 being filled with gas. If liquid flow velocity was exactly correct, cavity 7 would contain only liquid and cavity 6 only gas. In practice there will be a small percentage of liquid in the cavity 6 or a small amount of gas in the cavity 7. If the liquid velocity is too slow, the cavity 7 will contain gas with the liquid; if too fast the cavity 6 will contain liquid with the gas.

The resulting mixture from cavity 6 enters the tube 38 and flows into the upper portion of the reservoir 31, where the baffles 19 and 20 form a labyrinth that removes the liquid from the gas. Any mist that may remain is removed by ceramic filter 26 prior to the gas leaving the reservoir 18 through the tube 28. The mixture from the cavity 7 enters the tube 37 and flows into the lower section of the reservoir 31. The baffles 20 and 21 form a labyrinth passage that assists the gas in leaving the liquid. The degassed liquid enters tube 32 to return to pump 33 for reuse.

In FIG. 2, cover plates 48 and 49 are attached to the stationary housing 3 by means of bolts 47. A seal 50 prevents liquid from escaping along the shaft 39. This shaft is rotated by sprocket 51.

In FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, numeral 52 designates an embodiment utilizing concentric circular cavities and U-shaped passages with a flat sealing face. A square stationary member 53 contains four cavities 54, 55, 56 and 57. The cavities 56 and 57 are arranged in a circular configuration positioned near the perimeter of stationary member 53. The cavities 54 and 55 are positioned on a smaller radius concentric with the cavities 56 and 57. The length of this radius is chosen to position the inner cavities so that a narrow land 58 separates them from the outer pair. Tube 63 connects to cavity 54 by means of passage 59 and similarly tube 64 connects to cavity 56 by passage 60, tube 65 to cavity 55 by passage 61, and tube 66 to cavity 57 by passage 62. Partitions 67 and 68 separate cavities 54 and 55. The partitions are positioned so that the cavity 55 contains approximately 180 and cavity 54 contains The remaining 60 is divided evenly between partitions 67 and 68. This angular distribution provides enough sealing surface to prevent U passages 69, 70 and 71 from being connected to cavities 54 and 55 simultaneously. The cavities 56 and 57 are separated by partitions 72 and 73. The cavity 57 contains approximately 148, with the cavity 56 containing approximately 208. The separators 72 and 73 are much narrower than the U passage openings, occupying only 2 of are each. The outer cavities 56 and 57 have an angular position such that their midpoints coincide with a line drawn across the ends of the cavity 55, this line passing through the center of bearing 77 and the ports 60 and 62.

A cylindrical rotating member 74 is positioned against the flat face of stationary member 53 containing the cavities. It is held against this face with suflicient force to prevent leakage by means of a spring 75 pressing against a thrust bearing 76. A shaft 77 attaches to the center of the end of member 74 containing the openings of U passages 69, 70 and 71. A sprocket 79 is attached to the opposite end of this shaft. Leakage along the shaft is prevented by a seal 78. The diameter of the rotating member 74 is large enough to seal the outer periphery of the cavities 56 and 57. Its height is sufficient to enclose the U passages 69, 70 and 71 when they are of a proper length to furnish the design pressure.

The U passages 69, 70 and 71 lie in a plane parallel to the axis of rotation. The clockwise ends of the passages are positioned over the cavities 56 and 57, while the counter-clockwise ends are positioned on a radius that brings them over the cavities 54 and 55. A radius drawn through one end of any passage will be 90 from the radius drawn through the opposite end of the same passage. Corresponding ends of the passages 69, 70 and 71 are positioned 120 apart. Any leakage between the mating faces of stationary member 53 and rotating member 74 is contained by a cover 80 retained in position by bolts 81 which engage threaded holes 81a.

The principle of operation of embodiment 52 is the same as that of embodiment 1 of FIG. 1, therefore it can replace the embodiment 1 in the diagram. The tube 63 in FIG. 3 connects to the tube 45, and similarly, tube 65 connects to 46, 64 to 37, and 66 to 38. The liquid flow from tube 41 enters cavity 54. As the ends of U passages 69, 70 and 71 that lie on the smaller radius pass over the cavity, the liquid enters the passages, forcing the gas from them. As the liquid enters each U passage, the exit end of each, lying on the larger radius will be over the cavity 57, thus all gas leaving each passage will enter cavity 57 and enter the reservoir 31 by means of tubes 66 and 38. Just as the passage fills with liquid, its entrance will be closed by the partition 67. Simultaneously the exit passes over partition 73. The liquid continues to flow because of the stored kinetic energy, as partition 73 is much narrower than the passage exit so thus is incapable of stopping the flow. Although the partition 67 is wide enough to close off the entrance of each passage as it passes over it, very little energy stored in the liquid is lost, as a vacuum that cannot absorb much energy is formed in the passage entrance for the short time interval required to pass over partition 67.

The exit of any U passage that is just passing the partition 73 will be over cavity 56. As the passage has just filled with liquid at this point, continued flow results in the transfer of the liquid into the cavity, through tubes 64 and 37 (FIG. 1) and into the lower section of reservoir 31 (FIG. 1). The entrance of U passages whose exits are passing over cavity 56 will be over cavity 55. Liquid leaving the passage results in gas flow through tube 65 and 46 from the atmosphere or any vessel to which it is attached, into cavity 55, and thence into the U passages. At the instant any passage empties of liquid, the exit is over partition 72 and the entrance over partition 68. This completes one cycle of operation. In embodiment 52 of FIG. 3, a U passage completes one cycle of operation for every revolution of rotating member 74. The liquid always flows in the same direction through the U passages. The arrangement of the passages and cavity 54 are such that an equal area for flow is always maintained, so there are no pulsations caused by rotation of member 7 4.

Embodiment 52 in FIG. 3 is shown in combination with a centrifugal pump in FIG. 6. An electric drive motor 82 rotates an impeller 83. A shaft seal between the impeller and the motor isolates the impeller compartment to prevent leakage into the motor. A drive key 84 causes a member 85 to rotate with the impeller 83, but leaves it free to move axially. This rotating member is similar to member 74 of FIG. 3, differing only in its shape to enable it to conform to the requirements imposed by the impeller 83 design. A leaf spring 86 causes the member 85 to seal against the inner face 87 of housing 88. The housing fastens to motor flange 89 by bolts 90. The inner perimeter of the housing 88 is shaped to form a volute to aid the impeller 83 in pressurizing the compartment 91. The end 92 of housing 88 is sufficiently thick to permit cavities and passages to be incorporated that perform the same functions as cavities 54, 55, 56 and 57 of FIGS. 3 and 5 and tubes 32, 37, 38 and 41 of FIG. 1. The items that perform the same functions as their counterparts of FIG. 3 are identified by the same numeral followed by letter A, as item 54A being functionally equivalent to item 54 of FIG. 3.

Passage 59A connects the pressurized compartment 91 to cavity 54A. Passage 62A connects cavity 57A to the upper section of the reservoir 95. Passage 61A connects cavity 55A to the atmosphere or container if another gas than air is being pumped. Passage 60A connects cavity 56A to the lower portion of reservoir 95. U pas sages 69A (not shown), 70A and 71A interconnect the cavities as described in FIG. 3. Outlet 28A in the top of reservoir exhausts the gas to the atmosphere or attached vessel. Pressure regulator 93 is attached to the top of the housing 88. Passage 94 permits liquid 96 to be drawn directly into the impeller intake, thus replacing tube 32 in FIG. 1. Reservoir 95 attaches to the front of housing 88 by means of bolts 97. This reservoir is constructed the same as embodiment 31 of FIG. 1. All operating functions of the pump in FIG. 6 are the same as those described for FIG. 3.

While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it Will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A fluid pump comprising (1) a rotational member with a plurality of diametrically positioned passages therein,

(2) a stationary annular member enclosing the rotational member, with cavities and ports in the stationary member which permit the passages to be filled from a fluid pressure source by one pair of cavities, the passages rotating to another pair of cavities in approximately the time required for the fluid to fill said passages, the fluid doing work on a second fluid in the other cavities, and

(3) a reservoir interconnected with the cavities to receive the fluids therefrom and separate said fluids for reuse.

2. A fluid pump comprising (1) a stationary member having a flat surface and containing ports and cavities,

(2) a rotational cylindrical member containing a plurality of passages with both ends of the passages opening on one end face of the cylindrical member, said end face being positioned against the flat surface of the stationary member containing the ports and cavities, the passages rotatably positionable in communication with the cavities to permit the passages to be filled from a fluid pressure source by one .pair of cavities, the passages rotating to another pair of cavities in approximately the time required for the fluid to fill said passages, the fluid doing work on a second fluid in the other cavities,

(3) a reservoir interconnected with the cavities to receive the fluids therefrom and separate said fluids for reuse.

3. A pump for pumping a gaseous substance comprising (1) a fixed member having a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports communicating with a surface of said member,

(2) a rotary member operatively positioned within the fixed member and having interconnecting conduits therein, said conduits positioned to connect the input ports with the output ports of the fixed member,

(3) means operatively connected to the rotary member to drive said member,

(4) means providing a liquid under pressure to at least one of the input ports of the fixed member whereby the liquid will pass from the input port through at least one of the conduits in the rotary member to at least one of the output ports in the fixed member with the kinetic energy of the liquid being utilized to pump a gas from another one of the input ports to another one of the output ports in the fixed member,

(5) means for collecting the liquid pumped from an output port of the fixed member, and

(6) pump means for recirculating the collected liquid to an input port of the fixed member.

4. A gas pump system comprising (1) a reservoir for receiving and separating gases from liquids,

(2) a first pump means connected to the reservoir for pumping liquid from the reservoir,

(3) a second pump means connected to the first pump means for receiving the liquid pumped by the first pump means and returning it to the reservoir, the second pump means having (a) a fixed annular housing (b) a plurality of input and output ports in the housing, and

(c) a rotary member mounted inside the fixed housing, the rotary member having fluid carrying passages therein to inter-connect the input ports and output ports of the fixed housing whereby the kinetic energy of the moving liquid will pump gas from at least one of the input ports to at least one of the output ports.

5. A gas pump system comprising (1) a reservoir for receiving and separating gases from liquids,

(2) a first pump means connected to the reservoir for pumping liquid from the reservoir,

(3) a second pump means connected to the first pump means, for receiving the liquid pumped by the first pump means and returning it to the reservoir, the second pump means having (a) a fixed housing (b) a plurality of input and output ports in the housing, and

(c) a rotary member mounted in sealing engagement with the fixed housing, the rotary member having fluid carrying passages therein to interconnect the input ports and output ports of the fixed housing whereby the kinetic energy of the moving liquid will pump gas from at least one of the input ports to at least one of the output ports.

6. A fluid pump comprising (1) a fixed housing having a center cavity,

(2) .an impeller mounted in the cavity to pump liquid into the cavity,

(3) semi-circular channels on one inner face of the housing,

(4) input and output ports in the fixed housing in communication with the channels,

(5) a rotary member having fluid carrying conduits for connecting the input and the output ports of the fixed housing, said rotary member being keyed to the impeller to rotate with the impeller, and

(6) a reservoir connected to at least some of the input and output ports in the fixed housing to supply a first fluid to the housing cavity for movement through the semi-circular channels and through the fluid carrying conduits of the rotary member and back to the reservoir for recirculation whereby the kinetic energy of the moving first fluid pumps a second fluid from at least one of the input ports to at least one of the output ports.

7. A fluid pump system comprising (1) a reservoir for receiving and separating one fluid from another,

(2) a first pump means connected to the reservoir for pumping a first fluid from the reservoir,

( 3) a second pump means connected to the first pump means for receiving the fluid pumped by the first 5 pump means and returning it to the reservoir, the

second pump means having (a) a fixed housing (b) a plurality of input and output .ports in the housing, and

(c) a rotary member mounted inside the fixed housing, the rotary member having fluid carrying passages therein to interconnect the input ports and output ports of the fixed housing whereby the kinetic energy of the moving first fluid will pump a second fluid from at least one of the input ports to at least one of the output ports.

8. A fluid pump comprising (1) a fixed cylindrical housing having an open end, a

closed end and a center cavity,

'(2) an end wall at the closed end,

(3) a removable cover plate for closing the open end,

(4) a drive motor mounted on the cover plate having a drive shaft passing through the center of the cover plate and extending into the cavity toward the closed end of the housing, said drive shaft being axially aligned with the center of the housing,

(5) an impeller mounted on the drive shaft inside the cavity,

(6) a center input opening in the end of the housing,

(7) a plurality of semi-circular channel-s concentrically arranged on the inner face of the end wall around the center input opening,

(8) input ports communicating with part of the channels,

(9) output ports communicating with the other channels,

(10) a rotary member keyed to the impeller to rotate with the impeller, said rotary member having interconnecting passages therein terminating in openings in a flat face surface which is arranged in sealing engagement with the inner face of the end wall in such manner that the passages in the rotary member connect the channels communicating with the input ports to the channels communicating with the output ports, and

(11) a fluid reservoir mounted adjacent to the cylindrical housing and connected to at least one of the input ports and at least one of the output ports of the housing whereby a first fluid is pumped from the reservoir by the impeller into the housing cavity, then through the rotary member and is returned to the reservoir with the kinetic energy of the first fluid acting upon a second fluid to draw it in one of the inputs of the housing and force it out one of the outputs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/08 Abbott 230-108 X 10/56 Jendrassik 230-69 

1. A FLUID PUMP COMPRISING (1 A ROTATIONAL MEMBER WITH A PLURALITY OF DIAMETRICALLY POSITIONED PASSAGES THEREIN, (2) A STATIONARY ANNULAR MEMBER ENCLOSING THE ROTATIONAL MEMBER, WITH CAVITIES AND PORTS IN THE STATIONARY MEMBER WHICH PERMIT THE PASSAGES TO BE FILLED FROM A FLUID PRESSURE SOURCE BY ONE PAIR OF CAVITIES, THE PASSAGES ROTATING TO ANOTHER PAIR OF CAVITIES IN APPROXIMATELY THE TIME REQUIRED FOR THE FLUID TO FILL SAID PASSAGES, THE FLUID DOING WORK ON A SECOND FLUID IN THE OTHER CAVITIES, AND (3) A RESERVOIR INTERCONNECTED WITH THE CAVITIES TO RECEIVE THE FLUIDS THEREFROM AND SEPARATE SAID FLUIDS FOR REUSE. 